UN orders sanctions on Kadhafi over crackdown

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – The UN Security Council unanimously ordered an arms embargo against Libya, a travel and assets ban on Moamer Kadhafi’s regime and a crimes against humanity investigation into the bloodshed.

The council made a new demand for an immediate end to attacks on civilians by Kadhafi loyalists which it said had been incited “from the highest level of the Libyan government.”

The United Nations says more than 1,000 people have been killed in the unrest.

All 15 members of the Security Council voted for Resolution 1970 at a rare Saturday night session of the United Nations’ supreme peace and security body.

The travel ban and assets will target the 68-year-old Libyan leader, seven of his sons and daughter Aisha, other family members and top defense and intelligence officials accused of playing a role in the bloodshed.

There are 16 names on the sanctions list in all. The figure was cut from 22 during negotiations on Saturday.

The civilians deaths were referred to the International Criminal Court because the council said “the widespread and systematic attacks currently taking place (in Libya) against the civilian population may amount to crimes against humanity.”

Under the resolution, all arms sales to Libya will have to stop immediately.

The landmark vote at the Security Council saw the United States support referring a crisis case to the International Criminal Court for the first time.

The United States is not a member of the ICC and abstained when the Darfur conflict in Sudan was sent to the international court in 2005 for a crimes against humanity investigation.